My Hotel Heart
by Natasha Staleek
Summary: Skye is plunged into a whole new world as she tries to contain her powers and on top of that she is fighting off the demons of her past. Slight AU.
1. Moves to Check Mate

**AN: So an idea I had. Skye grows into her powers instead of going through the mist, and it happens right after HYDRA overthrows SHIELD. Her parents aren't who they were in the show.**

Skye had made it a point to avoid contact with all members of her team. She remained in bed, on her laptop, all day and refused to speak to any of them. Coulson was concerned, Skye being like a daughter to him and all, and so he was reaching his point of no return. She was worried, because her powers were starting to appear. He knew that sooner or later he would have to send her to the Avengers, but he couldn't do that to her now.

She must have listened to Love Runs Out by OneRepublic at least 200 times in the past day, if not more. She was idly hacking into Stark Industries, whom had a weak defense system she might add, while she moped and felt the full swing of her uncharacteristically down nature. Normally she was upbeat and happy, but she just didn't see the point in it anymore. Strange things were happening around her, quakes started to follow her wherever she went. They had been small at first, but they were still there.

Then there was the whole new issue: Ward. He had taken her, smashed her down into nothing, and then expected her to be able to still feel something for him. She scoffed at the idea as she looked back at how her former SO had turned his back on her, the team, and SHIELD. She wanted to hate him, but she just couldn't. She didn't know why, because it seemed like it should be easy. She wanted to hate him for almost killing Fitz and ruining what FitzSimmons was. She wanted to hate him for using her and then leaving her to rot. She wanted to hate him for all the things that he had done, but part of her kept holding onto the naïve dream that maybe he actually had loved her.

No, he couldn't have. He was a psychopath who faked emotions to use people. She had fallen for it: hook, line, and sinker.

She was not the only one to notice her odd behavior. Coulson watched her on the cameras, May at his side. "What do we do, May? She's terrified and hurt but she refuses to show it because she's stronger than that. She doesn't know what is happening to her with her powers, and on top of that, her SO turned out to be HYDRA. Should we call them in?" The question was directed towards his advisor but before she could answer, his phone rang.

He would check the caller ID before glancing at May. She would give only a nod as she went to talk to Skye. Everything would be alright.

Phil would answer his phone. "Clint, I was just getting ready to call you."

" _Oh yeah, Director? What about?"_

"It's about one of my Agents. She's growing into powers she doesn't understand – that no one here understands – and she's in the middle of a depression to top it all off. It's a long story I shouldn't tell you over the phone."

" _Do you want me out there to talk to her?"_

"I want the entire team, even Thor if possible."

" _Where and when?"_

"How about we come to you and meet you tomorrow at Avenger's tower? Just have a place for us to land."

" _Sounds good, Coulson. Thor is visiting so I'll let everyone know."_

"Thanks, Clint."

May walked over towards Skye's bunk, which had the door shut. This had happened more often than not recently and she felt bad for the girl. She would knock and the door would crack open a little before shutting again. May would then open it by her brute force and sit down across from Skye, shutting the door behind her. "We're going to talk now. Alright?" Skye didn't respond to her as she stared at her computer screen, which had a very delicious looking shirtless Captain on it. Part of her wished to see more shirtless men though she doubted she would.

"Skye, don't make me take the laptop or break out the bracelet." Now those words had gotten her attention as she looked up to the agent who had become like a mother to her. May certainly acted like her mom as well. "Coulson called in a team of people who are eager to meet you. You might be going to stay with them for a while."

The words came as a shock as the girl started to protest. "May, you guys can't just send me away. I promise I can behave–" Her eyes had hidden nothing. She felt this as another betrayal and May saw that in her. It almost made her heart ache. "We are not sending you away. You need help to control what is going on with you. Do not play dumb, I know you've noticed the tremors."

"You knew this would happen?" She was almost angry at her mother figure as Mays nodded.

"I suspected it would. Now that it has, a special team is going to help you learn to control and use your powers. Afterwards you will be free to return to us." She left out just who the team was. She was pretty sure she had caught Skye staring at them, particularly a shirtless Steve, on her screen before May had insisted they talk.

"When do they come?" She was nervous as she wondered who they could be.

"We're going to them. We'll be there tomorrow. Skye, I need you to be honest with me about something. How badly did Ward hurt you?" May wasn't a fool. She knew something else was going on.

Silence answered her question as she gave Skye a hug. It was strange how she could feel so protective over her. It was official, she was going to kill Ward, and if Coulson stopped her, he might end up dead too.


	2. Spies Secrets

**A/N: So, I had this chapter written out while at Relay for Life, but my laptop died and while I thought it did, it didn't save! I would have had this up a yesterday if it had. I will admit the first one was substantially better. I'd like opinions as to whether or not this is an alright idea: doing chapters via PoV where I flop between Skye and May, since May has vowed to kill Ward. Warning: self-harm or suicidal thoughts may appear in this chapter. Read at your own risk.**

The plane had made a sharp turn a while back, leaving Skye curious as to why they needed to turn around. She had always assumed that this team was a SHIELD team, which would mean they would just keep heading towards the Playground. But, it appeared that they would be heading elsewhere, which made Skye think this team was not a SHIELD team. She had spent her time packing her things up, assuming that she would be gone for a while. Simmons would walk by and give her a confused look. "Skye, why are you packing a bag?"

"I'm going away for a while. AC decided I need help from another team with something." She needed to leave it vague, for the sake of her sanity. Jemma Simmons was a scientist, and while she loved the girl to death, she knew that Jemma loved to experiment. Skye refused to become just another scientific marvel. Simmons looked hurt and confused as she pulled the stoical Skye into a hug with Fitz not far behind. It was painful to see them thinking that she'd be gone forever but everything inside her mind was confused, leaving her even sadder than she already was. "I have to finish packing and I think Coulson had you two working on something." Skye muttered as she pulled away from them.

Simmons and Fitz gave her sad looks as they walked away. The Skye that was leaving wasn't the same Skye they knew. Maybe this new team could put some kind of skip in her step to resemble the girl they once knew. Skye packed her last thing, her laptop bag, and sat down in the now empty room. She looked up at the ceiling as the pain hit her. Not only was she trying to recover from what had happened, seemingly all at once, but now she was being torn from the only family she had ever known. Part of her just wanted it to all stop – the pain and suffering that she felt and saw in others. Part of her sought a release but the only one she could think of was something the rest of the team would have her on lockdown for. Still, she wanted to feel the pain that came with a cool blade sliding across her skin just to prove that she was alive and this wasn't hell.

Still, she reminded herself of what would happen if AC or May saw the aftermath of those thoughts, and she instantly knew it was not an option. She could never hurt them like that and she knew that it would. She would open the door and just lay there still. A voice nearly spooked her. "Skye, we're getting ready to land so it would be best if you came with me." AC's voice filled the air as she sat up and grabbed her duffel bag. She had learned to pack light in her time, because she never stayed in one place for long.

She would make her way to the cargo area of the plane as she put a hand on the side of Lola before looking to Agent Coulson, who gave a sad smile. She could tell he had been tearing himself up at this decision. He didn't want her to leave the day, but she packed her bags anyway because the sooner she learned to control her powers, the sooner she could return. He understood this and pulled her in for a hug. "You'll be back here soon, Skye. We'll always be your family." His words were meant as a comfort but she wasn't so sure they would look at her the same once they knew. May and Coulson knew, but they were like her parents and they thought of her as their daughter.

One time, she had even accidentally called him dad. "I know AC, I know. Just, don't die out there." The pain she had been feeling these past few months started to choke out into her voice as the plane finished the landing process. The cargo bay would open and May would stand beside her, on the other side from where AC was standing.

When the cargo bay opened, the light almost blinded her. She was shocked to see where they had landed… "Avenger's Tower?" Confusion laced her voice as she looked between the two of them. She had thought that they all thought that AC was dead… so why were they landed here? Only time would tell.

They would walk out onto the platform where they were greeted by Clint and Natasha. Natasha and May stared each other down for a bit while Clint pulled Coulson in for a hug, just like old times. "Agent Romanoff."

"Agent May." The tension was thick before they both managed to crack a smile and give each other a hug. They would back away and lead the three SHIELD agents inside to meet with the rest of the team. She saw all of them – Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, Hawkeye, the Black Widow, Iron Man! She left her expressions stoical, a certain light dying in her eyes but a forced smile on her mouth. A few months ago, she would have been bouncing off the walls to see them and meet them, but now not so much.

Coulson was the first one to speak. "Hello guys, it's been a while but duty calls. This is Skye, and I was hoping you could help us."

Steve spoke up, a soft frown on his face as he recognized the look in her eyes. Something major had happened. "Agent Coulson tells us you have powers." He talked directly to Skye, trying to keep up a smile as Tony examined her further. Bruce remained silent but interested while the two spies were having one of their silent conversations. Thor stood there with a pensive look on his face.

Skye would speak up this time, saying the words that would seal her fate within this interaction. "Yeah, I've been creating earthquakes." They all looked at her with shock, except for Clint and Natasha. One thing was clear, the spies had never told the others of what her powers were.


	3. The Avengers

Skye was quite confused because it was like they had seen a ghost. She remained there still as Coulson placed his hand on her shoulder. "I've got to take this call." He whispered into her ear as he headed outside, May remaining at her side. Steve seemed to recover first as he spoke once more. "We'd love to help you with your powers – Thor would probably be best given his status as a God and his experience with earth-related powers." Steve seemed to have a pensive look on his face before he frowned.

"We also need to run some tests, just to set you up with the system and JARVIS. I promise it isn't as bad as it sounds. Afterwards I think that Romanoff and Barton could help you keep up on your training, although having the Cavalry as an SO, I feel like you might not need it." May couldn't help but grin at the compliment.

Coulson rushed back into the room and whispered something into May's ear. She remained stoical but looked towards Skye as Coulson spoke up. "Sorry to cut this short, but we have to leave. There's been an emergency situation in Hong Kong." He looked towards Skye. "Do you want to come with us or stay with them?"

Skye thought about it for a second, trying to figure out which would be best. She supposed it depended on the situation in Hong Kong but they could always call if they needed her. "I'll stay here, but if you need help, you have my phone number and I'm sure I could find a way to get to you guys… plus I've still got my laptop which means I can do any hacking you might need." Her words were silent enough for most of the team to not hear her. Natasha grinned a little bit when her enhanced hearing picked up on what Skye had said.

She was going to have to spend some time with Skye to find out some of Tony Stark's secrets.

"Stay safe out there, AC." She would murmur, concern piercing her voice as she hugged him and picked up her bags. "So what next?" She looked towards the group of superheroes before her. Tony would grin as he spoke. "JARVIS, set up the room across from Romanoff's on her floor for our guest. She will be staying for a undetermined amount of time."

A disembodied voice set Skye on edge as her bad started to shake a bit. "Yes sir, it will be set up in about an hour." She would take a deep breath, trying to calm herself down as she emotionally shut down once more. "Right," Tony would speak up again as he noticed what had happened, "we have to get you set up in the system. It's a real simple procedure. A small poke of blood for blood type and parental data and a fingerprint scan so you can access the floors." Tony would speak with a smile as Skye frowned.

"I don't have any parental data. The only evidence I've found of their existence is a redacted file in SHIELD's databases." Her words were almost cold as she looked towards the playboy millionaire. He would give an awkward apology as he led her away, determined to find out more about her parents. He always loved a challenge and it definitely sound like one. "JARVIS, reinforce everything in Skye's room as a precaution."

"Yes, sir." The voice would respond as Skye tried to adjust with the AI being present in all aspects of the house. She was led into a lab where Bruce was waiting with the necessary supplies to complete all of the testing. First he would take a needle and draw a little blood for testing and entry. Then he would scan her fingerprint and place it in the system.

"Alright, you're good to go. I'm sure Natasha, Steve, or Clint would love to show you around if you want. Tony and I have to finish up in the lab to grant you security clearance. Thor had to return to Asgard for a meeting with his council but he will return later." Bruce instructed the agent as he entered data into the computer. Mystery seemed to surround Skye as he pulled up birth records, orphanage records, ER visits. Someone, or someones, didn't want to be found or tied to Skye.

Intrigue would fill both scientists as Bruce spoke up. "I feel a race coming on." He sounded as if he disapproved.

"Hear me out, Bruce! First person to find Skye's parents gets rights to boss the other person around for the rest of the year." It was so very tempting to be able to boss Stark around.

"You've got a deal." With that, the bet was started and the race to find her parents was present. If only they had access to the redacted files.

Skye made her way to the shared living area to find that the rest of the Avengers were sitting down, watching a movie. She was pretty sure it was Batman but she couldn't be sure since there was no one in costume at that point. She would awkwardly approach before speaking. "Tony said that one of you might be able to show me around?" It was unsure but forbearing, as if it were even possible for both to exist with each other.

They all turned and looked at her, Steve standing up. "I'll show you around everywhere except your room since the only people allowed on that floor would be you and Natasha. This is the main area and we generally spend a lot of time here. There is a full kitchen and hand-picked staff that come in when we call them, generally it is for dinner. It only happens once every other month or so, or maybe if we're on our way home from a mission. There is a couch and access to every movie on the planet, including TV shows as well." He would give her a chivalrous grin as he offered her his arm.

His 40's style actions made him stand out. She would hesitantly place her hand on his arm, Natasha grinning in the background as she considered the fact that Steve still had yet to find a girlfriend.

Skye was instantly led away to be shown the rest of the Tower's private 'Avenger only' facilities. She was shown the general training room as well as the personalized training rooms for each Avenger. She was shown the ballroom and banquet hall, the pool, the hot tub, and every other perk of living with a billionaire.

 _This might be alright._ She would tell herself this in the form of a mantra. She had to believe it, because if not, who knew what would happen to her.


	4. Roomy

When she returned to the general living area, she noticed Natasha and Clint staring at each other, occasionally nodding or shifting in their stances. Skye held a confused look as Steve followed her gaze. "Clint and Natasha can have full conversations with their eyes. It's quite creepy and we often wonder what they say about us when they do that." Steve quickly explained as he deliberately sat in-between them, breaking their gazes to each other.

Natasha would glare at him before standing up ever so gracefully. "I suppose it's my turn. Your room finished preparations a few minutes ago." She would give a kind smile as she led Skye away once more. It was awkward, standing in silence with the Black Widow in an elevator. This woman could kill her in 100 different ways with just her little finger. "So you and Clint were partners in the field before you were Avengers?"

"Yes, I would have thought that Coulson would have told you." She would state simply.

"He didn't even tell me I was meeting the Avengers, and I only have a level 1 security clearance, which I just obtained last week, before that I had no clearance and had to wear a bracelet that tracked if I was near an electronic device." Her words were simple enough but the level 10 agents gave her a suspicious look. "What did you do to earn the bracelet of shame?"

"I lied about why I was consulting for SHIELD in order to dig up information on my parents and I slept with a hacker we were tracking down, who I knew before everything happened." Her words were laced with sadness as she thought about everything. She still had yet to find out who her parents were.

The assassin simply nodded. "I wouldn't feel too bad – Fury would have Coulson put a bracelet on someone who did their job but went slightly off script to do it." She could tell that the woman was trying to comfort her, but it didn't help too much.

They would remain filled with an awkward silence for the rest of the elevator trip before they exited onto what was now _their_ floor. "Each floor has two apartments. They are quite roomy, to be honest and have everything you could need. You can get things for your kitchen by talking to Pepper, but since we all normally eat together we don't use it very often. There is a state of the art bathroom filled with all sorts of supplies, if you need something special then again, talk to Pepper about it. She runs this place, so don't let Tony fool you. There are two guest bedrooms in each apartment so if you want to have friends over, you can. Again, you have to talk to Pepper a day ahead of time so she can run background checks. I'm right across the hall if you need anything and JARVIS is always awake. I usually have 'do not disturb' hours between 2am and 4am. I don't sleep often but that is when I normally do sleep." The woman would be kind enough to explain everything before she opened the door to Skye's new room.

"Thank you." The agent would reply as she took a step in.

"I'll be in the gym if you need anything further, and the others are still about. Bruce and Tony usually hang in the labs if you need them. Steve is normally in his apartment and Clint is usually in the gym with me." She would say before turning to leave. She had decided not to finish the rest of the episode of Gotham with the group, and instead decided to work on her flexibility. There was always room for improvement, even when you were considered the best.

Skye would wander about her new apartment, keeping her eyes narrowed as she tried to make herself comfortable. The issue was that this apartment was nice, and about ten times the space of her van and her bunk on the bus combined. She felt overwhelmed. Plus, there was a closet full of clothes for her.

Speaking of which, how did they know her size? Was that creepy?

Skye would turn on her TV and browse through the different shows. Perhaps she should catch up on Arrow, since she had fallen behind with her time on the Bus. They hadn't really left room for her to watch shows, but the Avengers seemed like they would.

JARVIS would set her on edge again as she threw her remote at the wall towards the disembodied voice. "Mr. Rogers is requesting access to your floor, Miss Skye. He said it was for a 'welcome party'. Shall I allow him up?" The voice would ask her in its usual straightfaced manner.

"Yes, please do." She would answer, unsure of herself as she picked up the remote, setting it by the TV which had all of the action of Felicity Smoak, Oliver Queen, and John Diggle on it. She had been somewhat lost in the episode.

Sure enough, she heard a knock and went to open the door. "Hello, Soldier." She would greet with a dip of her head as she stepped aside, allowing him into the apartment. "JARVIS said something about a welcome party?"

"Ah, yes. Tony is throwing a party in a few hours and sent me up to tell you about it. It's his thing, to try and make us feel more welcome." Steve seemed like an alright guy, but she had learned more than once not to trust guys who acted like that.

Sure, he had a reputation as Captain America, to always tell the truth, but she wasn't going to buy it. "Sounds great." She would respond in a impassive voice as she stared in a deadpan manner towards him.

What seemed like a glare would make Steve feel uncomfortable so he would dip his head and make his leave. "I promise that we can help. You'll be back with Coulson in no time, you'll see."

The door shut behind him and she fell to the floor.


	5. A Note to the Readers

A/N – Hey guys, sorry it has been so long since I have updated the story. I will be getting an update up by the end of July but at the current time, I am very busy with Robotics and the AP course load I have. I have NOT given up on the story. A reviewer suggested that I make this Captain Hacker, but I'd like everyone else's opinions on that as well.


	6. An Unexpected Call

**A/N: Votes are in! Captain Hacker with more Nat and Clint being protective older siblings! This story might feature a few Clintasha scenes as well.**

Skye wasn't entirely sure why she had fallen and broken down with that interaction, but she had, and she was struggling to control her emotions. She would pull out her phone, quickly dialing Jemma with the hopes that she wasn't too busy to comfort and help her best friend through something that she wasn't entirely sure what was happening. She took a deep breath as the phone rang and rang and rang.

"Skye? Skye, is that you?" The British accent flowed through the phone, allowing Skye to take a deep breath. Just hearing her friend's voice had started to calm her down, her tears no longer flowing down her already stained cheek. There was a certain hurt that remained in her eyes. She thought about how Steve, Clint, Natasha, Tony, and Pepper had been very welcoming to her.

"Jemma, are you guys on a mission right now?" She asked, her voice sounding broken which raised a red flag with the biochemist.

"No, we've just finished… what's wrong Skye?" Concern laced the other woman's voice as she silently freaked out, motioning for Coulson and May to come over towards her as she put her on speakerphone. "Skye, you're on speaker with Coulson, May, and myself."

"Can you guys come to visit? I can talk to Pepper and get you all cleared, I just need you here." The tone she spoke with had started to worry Coulson, which could be clearly seen in his features as May opened her mouth as if to speak before shutting it again. It was clear that Skye needed them.

"If you talk to Pepper, we'll visit, but only after we hear her say it's okay. We don't want the Avengers to go after us for breaking into their tower." Coulson spoke up, feeling a protectiveness of her adoptive daughter bubble in his chest. Had she had another nightmare or was she thinking about Ward again? He was going to kill that son of a bitch as soon as he possibly could.

"Skye? Are you there?" He would ask when there was no response. "Yeah, I'm on my way to talk to Pepper now so stay on the line." She said as she ran out of her room into the elevator. "JARVIS, where is Pepper at?" She would ask the always listening disembodied voice.

"Miss Potts is currently in her office. Would you like to request a visit?" The voice asked which didn't faze Skye because she had asked a direct question. It only startled her when Jarv spoke first. "Yes please, JARVIS." She requested as she listened to Coulson and May speaking to each other on the other end of the phone.

 _Okay, that voice is a little creepy._ She heard Coulson say and amusement hit her eyes though she refused to laugh out loud. The elevator started to move towards the floor dedicated to Pepper and her work, so Skye assumed that the CEO had cleared her to enter her office. She kept them on the line as the door opened and she walked out.

Pepper looked up and saw Skye's tear stained cheeks and concern instantly flared up inside of her. "Skye, what's wrong?" She asked as she stood up to move towards the woman, her red hair pulled up into a neat ponytail, not a stray hair in sight.

"I was wondering if Coulson, May, Jemma, and Fitz could come visit is all. I'm feeling homesick." She gulped as she looked towards the admittedly rather intimidating woman. It wasn't difficult to tell that Skye was lying about just being homesick, especially to a mother hen like Pepper, so she nodded. "They already have security clearance but I'll let Tony know they're coming." She said with a smile as she gave Skye a hug. She took the phone from Skye's hand before the girl could speak up.

"Hello everyone! We're having a black tie dinner for Skye to welcome her so you'd all best bring something nice to wear to it. I expect all of you to be there." There was no room for argument in her tone as she handed the phone back to Skye, who was grinning. "See, Pepper approves!" She said moving towards the elevator.

"So I hear. We'll be there in the morning!" Jemma said as May said goodbye, because she had to go fly the plane. "We're going to run, hold in there until we get there, alright." Jemma would say, hoping her best friend could hold out just a little while longer.

"Alright, bye, and remember, black tie event!" She said through the phone before hanging up on them and going back towards her room. What she hadn't realized was that Steve had heard everything that had happened.

When Skye had shut the door on him, he heard her fall to the floor and break down, and truthfully it made him feel bad. Had it been something that he said? He opened his door and sat just on the inside, feeling bad for snooping into what she was doing but also feeling it necessary in cause she was in a dark place.

She pulled out her phone to call someone and he would listen to their conversation. Steve knew that the best thing for her would be a visit from her team, but part of him wondered if they would even want to see her. He wasn't entirely sure what her team felt about powered people, but she knew Phil to be a good man, even if she didn't know the rest of them. He listened to her conversation with Pepper a few floors below with a small smile.

It appeared they were going to have guests.


End file.
